Current surveillance systems monitor an extensive range of process parameters from nuclear power plants. Many of these parameters are monitored automatically and the information is stored in an electronic storage system located near the nuclear power plant.
Mobile nuclear power plants are used for example in vessels such as submarines or surface ships. During normal operations the process parameters collected from the nuclear power plant are stored on a local computer. However in the event of any incident, which poses a potential threat to the safety of the power plant, the operators are required to monitor the power plant and log additional data manually. The operator then conveys this additional data to the relevant authorities, who co-ordinate the response to the incident and who are responsible for sharing current data with other authorities.
The quality, periodicity and supply of the data during an incident are dependent upon the operators. This relies on the operator being able to monitor the plant and communicate the information whilst working under abnormal conditions.